


Do You Wanna Know My Name?

by bfketh



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Demisexual Levi, Eventual Smut, M/M, No Name!Levi, Oblivious Eren Yeager, Panic Attacks, Secret Identity, Tags May Change, fanboy!eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 13:07:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2851787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bfketh/pseuds/bfketh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The band No Name is a mystery, even to their fans. No one knows the names of the band members, and they never appear in public without their signature bandages hiding their eyes. But what little there is to know about No Name, you can be sure that Eren Jaeger knows it. Every magazine article, every television appearance, every bit of message board speculation, Eren has devoured it all. So the Ultimate Fanboy would probably be ecstatic to learn that his new neighbor is the lead singer of his favorite band. But luckily for Levi, Eren remains completely oblivious, even when the evidence is right in front of his face.</p><p>The problem is, when they become closer, how does Levi break the secret that he's been hiding for months?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet Cute

"Oh, and Jean's going to be coming over to study with us today."

Eren looked up from checking the fridge to make sure there was enough soda for when Armin and Marco showed up. The spring semester midterms were fast approaching, and, even though they were all in different majors, it was somewhat of a tradition by now to study together. Eren groaned dramatically. "Seriously, Mikasa? I see enough of him as it is."

His sister fiddled with the edge of her scarf, a gift Eren had given her when she was adopted into the family, and a small frown turned down the corners of her mouth. "Well, we're dating now, so you better get used to him being here."

"Please don't remind me that you're dating my arch-nemesis."

"I thought you two had started to get along? If anything, you're more like enemies-turned-friendly-rivals."

Eren ripped open a bag of pretzels and poured them into a bowl. "What, like Aang and Zuko?"

"Hmm, I would have said Ichigo and Uryuu." Mikasa pulled some oranges out of the fridge and started to peel and segment them. "But if were going with Avatar, then you're more like _Sokka_ and Zuko."

"Ha ha." Eren carried the pretzels over to the kitchen table. "Wait a minute. Didn't you used to write Ichiishi smut?" He looked at Mikasa in mock horror. "Oh my God, you dating Jean is all part of some elaborate plot to get him and me to bang each other, isn't it?"

Mikasa rolled her eyes as the sound of the doorbell chimed through the house. "Stop being ridiculous, Eren." She thrust the plate of orange sections at him as she walked past to answer the door.

~~~~~

Eren sighed and flipped through his Musical History book randomly. Normally, he didn't have any problem studying with the others, but he just couldn't concentrate today. Maybe it was something in the air. He glanced around the kitchen table. Marco and Armin were sitting with their shoulders close together as they went over Marco’s chemistry notes, but that was nothing new. The two had been dating so long that it was hard to even remember when they’d started; Eren thought it was around the time they began passing notes to each other in class written in Elvish. No, the big change to the group would have to be Jean and Mikasa. Eren was used to Jean mooning after Mikasa, but he wasn't used to Mikasa mooning _back_. He sighed again and put in his headphones, pulling up the new No Name album that he’d just bought last week.

The heavy bass line kicked in, leading to the singer’s somewhat rough vocals, and Eren tried to get his notes in order one more time. It wasn't that anyone was _ignoring_ him – although Jean was really the only one that could help him, since they were the only two attending Sina College for the Performing Arts. Even so, they could only help each other so much, since Jean was studying film and Eren was in the Music Department with an aim to become a sound engineer. And it wasn't that Eren was _jealous_ , per se. Maybe a little jealous of everyone’s situation, rather than the specific people involved. Mostly, he was just starting to feel like a fifth wheel.

He slammed his book shut and stood up. And then froze and awkwardly cleared his throat when everyone else at the table looked at him. “I, uh, I just need to stretch my legs for a bit. I’m gonna go take a walk around the block.”

Mikasa looked back down at her notes. “Don’t forget a jacket; it’s still a little cold out.”

Eren rolled his eyes. “Yes, _Mom_.”

As he passed through the laundry room to the back door. Carla stuck her head out from the pantry. “Eren, sweetie, if you’re going out, can you take the trash with you?”

“No problem.”

“And put on a sweater or something. There’s a bit of a chill today.”

“Yes, Mom.” This time, Eren kept the sarcasm out of his voice and grabbed the nearest thing on the coat rack. He shrugged it on and hefted the garbage bag that was sitting by the door.

“Oh, Eren?” Carla called as he left. “Say ‘hello’ to our new neighbor if you see him. We want him to feel welcome here!”

“Okay!” Eren let the door fall shut behind him and walked around the house to drop off the trash. Then he turned up the volume on his phone and started to follow the sidewalk around their block.

~~~~~

Levi liked to garden. Knowledge of that might surprise anyone who had a casual acquaintance with the man, considering all the dirt involved with the activity, but Levi actually found something incredibly soothing about the process of planning out the plots, nurturing the seedlings, and watching them grow and eventually bloom. There was probably some deep metaphor in there. There was probably another one in the fact that the compost Levi fed his plants was largely comprised of literal shit, but Levi didn't really feel like contemplating the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything at ten in the morning on a Saturday.

Levi wasn't actually going to be planting anything today – mid-March was still a little early – but he _was_ going to clear out the old garden from the last owners. He was keeping the trees, of course, and most of the bushes, but everything else was going to go. He’d barely gotten started when a car pulled up at the Jaegers’ house next door and three boys piled out, each of them hefting a heavy-looking book bag. He remembered when Mrs. Jaeger had come over to introduce herself and welcome Levi to the neighborhood that she’d mentioned she had two college-aged children. He had a feeling that she thought Levi was even younger than he actually was; people had a tendency to skew him younger than his age of nearly thirty. (Thirty-one was nearly thirty, right?)

No one else came or went from next door for the next two hours. Levi was just about to take a break for lunch when the backdoor opened and the Jaegers' son stepped out and carried some trash to the bin before walking around to the front. Levi did a double take because _what in the hell was he wearing?!_

His black skinny-jeans were so tight they looked like they'd been painted on, and he had on a bright purple button-up paired with a hideous green and orange cardigan that didn't just clash with his shirt - it had _declared_ _war_. He wasn't sure which article of clothing was winning the war, but the loser was definitely his eyes. Levi moved around to the front of his house, hoping that the boy would pass by soon because Levi just _had_ to hear the explanation.

About fifteen minutes later, he did. Levi straightened up from where he'd been ripping up plants and leaned on his fence. The boy shot him a smile as he approached, and Levi felt his breath catch as the expression lit up his green (or were they blue?) eyes. It almost wasn't fair that someone with the fashion sense of a colorblind yak should be so gorgeous, and Levi started kicking himself for not taking Carla up on her offer to "drop by for a visit any time."

The boy - young man, really - stopped a couple feet away and took out his headphones. "Levi, right? I'm Eren. Eren Jaeger."

Eren didn't hold out his hand for a handshake. Probably because Levi was wearing dirt-caked gardening gloves, but he was relieved nonetheless. Levi didn't like touching people he didn't know well. He also apparently had no filter, because the first words out of his mouth were, "Doesn't your family own a mirror, Jaeger?"

"Huh?" Eren looked confused, and Levi wordlessly gestured at his clothes. Eren crossed his arms defensively over his chest. "What's wrong with purple? I like purple."

"The shirt's not the problem." Well, okay, maybe the fact that it was _paisley_ was a problem, but that wasn't the main point.

Eren huffed. "It's cold out. I didn't want Mom to nag me, so I just put on the first thing I grabbed."

Fair enough. "Can you even breathe in those jeans? I mean, they're not so tight that I can tell what religion you are, but looking at them is definitely making me feel like I need Jesus."

"Huh?" Eren repeated himself before looking down. "Oh. I, um, must have gotten my sister's pants mixed up with mine in the laundry again."

"Again?"

"We're the same size! And they're not  _that_ tight!" The tips of Eren's ears were starting to turn red, and Levi decided to relent.

"Taking a break from studying?"

Eren's eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah. I'll be graduating from Sina next year. I thought about going to New York or L.A., but this way I can live at home still. How did you guess?"

Levi shrugged. "I saw your friends going in earlier. Sina's a good school. I went there." He took off his gloves and dropped them in his basket. He stretched to work out the kinks from his shoulders. When he brought his arms down, he noticed Eren's gaze flicking over him, a certain speculative gleam in them. He sighed internally, thinking  _'Here it comes...'_

"Hey, um, did you know your haircut is exactly the same as the singer from No Name?"

Levi's internal sigh became an internal groan. "Yes, and for your information, I had this haircut way before that asshole ever  _dreamed_ of stepping on a stage."

"Sorry, I just thought you might be a fan," Eren said half in a mumble, and then his eyes hardened as he stared at Levi. "And don't call him an asshole, you don't even know him." _  
_

"That's the point of the gimmick, isn't it? No one knows who any of the band members are. So for all you know, I'm right and he really is an asshole." Levi smirked at Eren, who frowned at him. Levi held his eyes for a moment before looking away. "Besides, I didn't say I didn't like their music." Good lord, if he ever _did_ say that, Hanji would never let him hear the end of it.

"Oh!" Eren's entire demeanor changed then, brightening up like the sun breaking through storm clouds. "Did you hear their latest album,  _On Freedom's Wings_ , yet? I think it's their best one. In their older stuff, sometimes the bassist would overpower the rest of the band, and they're still experimental, but it seems like they've learned how to integrate more smoothly with the others. And the singer's really gotten stronger this time; I wonder if he's been doing voice lessons? Oh, and the eponymous song is just so different from what they usually do, but I think it's my favorite. Most of their stuff is like, power ballads, but then  _On Freedom's Wings_  is just so...ethereal. I didn't even know he could sing like that, but it's melancholy and feels so...nostalgic, I guess. But there's hope in it, too, and when the flutes kick in..."

Levi wasn't really listening to what Eren was saying. He was too busy being absolutely mesmerized by the way Eren's eyes lit up with enthusiasm while he talked until they were practically glowing like green fire. Levi's first traitorous thought was,  _'Cute...'_ followed closely by,  _'Fuck me sideways, I'm in trouble.'_

Eren seemed to have noticed the way Levi's eyes had glazed over, and he self-consciously trailed off. "Sorry. Mikasa says I get a little too enthusiastic sometimes."

Levi shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I like your enthusiasm." As soon as he said it, he mentally face-palmed.  _'Smooth, Levi. Shit, I am so, so bad at this.'_

Luckily, Eren didn't seem to notice. "Oh, okay, then. Maybe I'll have to come visit again. All my other friends are kind of sick of hearing about No Name."

Levi opened his mouth, about to say that was fine with him, when the Jaegers' front door opened and one of the boys Levi had seen earlier, the one whose hair couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to be blond or brown, stepped outside and looked around. He spotted Eren and called out, "Jaeger! Stop flirting with your hot neighbor and get back here! I need your help with something!"

Eren's cheeks immediately flushed pink, and Levi heard him mutter under his breath, "Goddamnit, Horseface." He turned back to Levi. "Sorry, I, uh, I gotta get back."

Levi waved him off. "Go on and study, kid. You know where to find me later."

Eren smiled. "Right. Later, then." He jogged off back to his house and waved. "Bye, Levi!"

All Levi could think as Eren disappeared inside was,  _'I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave.'_

Christ.

He was in  _so_ much trouble.

 


	2. The Proposition

Over the next couple weeks, Levi saw Eren quite a few times, looking progressively more frazzled as his mid-terms approached, and then much more relaxed when they were finally over. Whenever they'd run into each other - purely by coincidence, not that Levi would surreptitiously keep an eye on the neighboring house and find an excuse to be outside whenever a certain brunet was, oh no -  they'd end up talking. Most of their conversations were short, however. It wasn't until nearly the end of the month that they actually had a chance to sit and talk at length, and the circumstances behind that were...unusual, to say the least.

It was late, and Levi was a bit surprised to see half-a-dozen cars parked over at the Jaegers' house and several of the lights still blazing in the windows. As Levi stared out his own window, he saw a familiar silhouette move from the house to a tree near the fence separating their yards. Levi went out to investigate.

"Eren?" The figure, who had been peering around the tree at the other house jumped at the sound of Levi's low voice. "What the hell are you doing out here?"

Eren turned to face him, blinking owlishly in the darkness as he tried to focus on Levi and swaying slightly on his feet. "'M drunk."

"I can see that."

"An' if I go back, they're gonna make me drink more." Eren whined. He leaned against the short picket fence, bending down so he could rest his face on his arm. "I  _hate_ being drunk."

"So then don't drink. They can't make you if you don't want to."

Eren lifted his head enough to glare at Levi, his eyebrows furrowing together. " _Noooo_ , you don't unner...understand. 'S my 21st birthday, and those bastards are  _trying_ to get me wasted. More wasted. Whatever."

"So you're running away from your own party?"

Eren opened his mouth to reply, but just then the backdoor opened and someone called out, "Eren! Where'd you go? Sasha's getting out the Jell-O shots!"

Eren's eyes opened wide in panic, and before Levi quite realized what was happening, he'd scrambled over the fence. Levi put his arms out automatically to stop Eren from face-planting into the hydrangeas, and Eren hissed into his ear, "Hide me!"

And that was how Levi ended up with a moderately drunk Eren sitting in his kitchen.

"Here, drink this." When Eren just eyed the glass Levi had set in front of him suspiciously, Levi clarified, "It's water."

"Yeah, that's what Connie said earlier, too." Despite his words, Eren picked up the glass and took a long drink before resting his arms on the table and burying his face in them. "Ugh."

Levi sat down to his left. "You need the bathroom? 'Cause if you get sick in here, you  _will_ be cleaning it up."

"No, I'm fine." Eren turned his head to look up at Levi. "Thanks, by the way."

Levi cleared his throat and looked away, trying not to think about how long Eren's eyelashes were or the curve of his collarbone showing above the neckline of his loose sweater. "It's no problem."

Eren hummed, and Levi heard him shift in his seat. The next thing Levi knew, a warm finger was lightly running along the edge of his ear, from his industrial and down to the lobe. He shivered involuntarily and twitched his head away to look at Eren.

The younger man was looking at him with a soft smile, as if he hadn't just invaded Levi's personal space. "I really like your earrings."

Levi gaped at him for a moment. "...You are  _not_ trying to flirt with me right now, Jaeger."

Eren frowned. "So what if I am? 'S wrong with that?"

"Well, let's start with the fact that you're literally a  _decade_ younger than me."

Eren snorted. "So? I don't have a problem with that." Eren smiled again and leaned a little closer. "I  _really_ don't have a problem with that."

Okay, that...that was definitely a hand on Levi's knee. Levi glanced down at the table. Nope, both of his hands were still there. He reached down and grasped Eren's wrist, guiding his hand back up to the table. "Okay, bigger problem: you're drunk."

Eren's eyebrows furrowed together as if he were trying to think of an argument to that. Finally, he sighed and put his head back down on his arms. He was silent for a few minutes before tentatively asking, "What if I wasn't drunk?"

"What?"

"What if I wasn't drunk?" Eren enunciated carefully. "Like, what if we went out for coffee, or to see a movie, or dinner or something?"

Levi's brain stopped working. His mouth opened, and he heard himself say, "No."

"Oh." Eren pushed himself away from the table and ran a hand through his hair. He laughed, but there wasn't any humor in it. "That's... Okay. Well, I should probably head back before I embarrass-"

"No!" Levi interrupted him forcefully. He cleared his throat and looked down. "No, I didn't mean  _no_ , I meant, that wasn't... You didn't just...ask me out on a date?"

_'Now'd be a good time for the earth to just swallow me whole.'_

Eren blinked once, and then once again, before a slow grin started to overtake his face. "I  _did_ just ask you out on a date, Mr. Ackerman."

"Don't call me that; it makes me feel even more like an old pervert than I already do."

"So, being around me makes you feel like a pervert, huh?" Eren's grin had stretched to Cheshire Cat proportions, and he leaned in closer to Levi.

Levi gave Eren's shoulder a light shove, pushing him back into his seat. "Shut up; you didn't hear that." He ran a hand over his face. "Okay."

"'Okay' as in you'll go on a date with me, or..."

"'Okay' as in if you remember this conversation when you're sober and you don't realize you've made a terrible mistake, then I'll consider saying yes."

Eren looked slightly confused as he digested Levi's answer. "So, you're...not saying no?"

"I'm saying 'ask me again in the morning.'"

"Oh... Okay, I can do that." Eren smiled at Levi again, and this time it seemed innocent and almost shy. "I suppose asking for a birthday kiss is out of the question, huh?"

Scratch the innocent part.

"Keep it up and you'll be headed for a birthday spanking instead."

Eren's eyes went wide and unfocused, and his mouth dropped slightly open.

"Oh my  _God_ , Eren."

Eren's mouth snapped shut. "That's, um... Wow. That's something I didn't know about myself."

Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Happy to help." He looked back at Eren. "You should probably head home before everyone starts to worry."

Eren pouted at Levi. "Do I have to?"

"Well, no, but I can't imagine your sister or your friends will be too happy with you if you completely ditch your own party." When Eren stayed silent in his chair, Levi continued, "And even if it's your birthday, if you don't want to drink anymore, you shouldn't have to do that, either. If they're really your friends they'd respect that."

"I know." Eren nodded. "I mean, they are; I think they just go a little overboard, sometimes." Eren moved to stand up, and Levi helped him to his feet, even though Eren didn't really seem to need the help; he'd sobered up quite a bit in the time he and Levi had spent talking.

Levi's hands may have lingered on Eren's arm and back longer than strictly necessary, but they both pretended not to notice.

Eren paused in the doorway as he was about to leave and looked back at Levi with yet another smile warming his face. "Thanks for putting up with me."

Levi shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "No problem."

"Oh, and I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow. I've got something to ask you, after all."

And with that, Eren waltzed out the door and made his way across their adjoining lawns to his own house, making use of the gate this time. As Levi watched him go, he was sure of two things.

One - that he almost certainly had a date coming up in the near future.

Two - that Eren Jaeger was a public menace.

~~~~~

Eren woke up the next day with a slight headache blooming behind his temples and his mouth feeling like he'd been chewing on a fuzzy sock all night, but a quick shower, glass of water, and a couple of aspirin later and he felt almost human again. A quick glance in the basement rec room at the casualties of the party spread over every horizontal surface confirmed that he could have been a lot worse off. He supposed that he had Levi to thank for that.

_'Oh, shit, Levi...'_

Eren raced out the door and was knocking on Levi's not two minutes later. He impatiently shifted his weight from foot to foot until the door opened, but as soon as he caught sight of Levi, the words he'd been about to say died on his tongue. He must have interrupted a workout, because Levi was wearing a pair of loose-fitting sweatpants coupled with a tight tank top that was damp with sweat and clung against every curve of a set of well-defined abs.

Levi seemed just as tongue-tied as Eren, but he managed to find his voice first. "Did you, uh, accidentally get into your sister's clothes again?"

"Huh?" Eren looked down at himself as he tried to wrench his brain away from images of licking up the sweatdrops still running down Levi's neck. "Oh, no. This, uh, this is mine."

"I see. You, ah, you wear skirts often?"

"Sometimes." Before Eren could start to feel defensive about it, he noticed the way Levi's eyes widened slightly in his normally impassive face. He decided to push him a little. "I don't always wear them with leggings, though. I have a few pairs of stockings, or I'll just go bare-legged if it's hot out."

"Oh." Eren didn't miss the way Levi's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed or the way his gaze quickly flickered down along his legs, although the subtle twitch of his fingers was a bit harder to catch. 

Eren gave himself a mental high-five and leaned in closer. "I could wear a skirt again Saturday. If you wanted to take me up on that 'date' thing, that is."

"Saturday, huh?" Levi frowned. "I'm actually busy that day." He sighed and ran his hand back through his hair. "I'm free on Friday, though."

"Friday, then. I'm done with classes for the day at twelve-thirty; we could have a late lunch." Eren bit his lower lip and smiled at Levi as he waited for his answer. For good measure, he even tilted his head down so he could look up at him through his eyelashes, which was no easy feat considering that Levi was nearly a full head shorter than him, but worth it for the sharp intake of breath he got in reaction.

Levi huffed lightly and looked away. "Alright, Friday at one, then. Is Maria's okay with you?"

Eren broke into a full grin. "It's perfect. I'll see you then." He was just about to turn around and head back home when Levi stopped him. He waited while he disappeared into his house for a minute before returning with a small piece of paper and handing it to Eren.

"Here. It's my cellphone number. If...if you need to get in touch with me before Friday. Or whatever."

Eren clutched the folded up paper tight to his chest. "I'll text you my number back when I get home."

Levi nodded, and they stood there together in a somewhat awkward silence for a few moments longer before Eren remembered that he really needed to help Mikasa clean up the aftermath of the party if he didn't want his mom to kill him before he even got to go on his date. Eren waved goodbye and then flounced back across the yard to his own house. And the flouncing was quite deliberate. Perhaps Eren didn't need to look over his shoulder as he put a little extra swing in his hips as he walked to make sure Levi was still watching, but he  _did_ look, and Levi  _was_ watching, and that was enough to put Eren in such a good mood for the rest of the day that not even dealing with a hungover and grumpy Jean was enough to spoil it.


	3. With Friends Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the two new tags.

It was fairly easy for Levi to ignore his doorbell ringing while he was in the shower.

It was however, less easy to ignore his bathroom door opening just as he was wrapping a towel around his waist.

"Jesus, Hanji!" he yelped, one hand clutching at his chest while the other held onto the towel for dear life and what little dignity he had left. "Were you  _trying_ to make me shit myself?"

"As entertaining as that would be for both of us, no." Hanji held up a manila envelope and waved it at Levi. "I wanted to go over the music score for your new lyrics with you."

Levi frowned at them. "No." He brushed past Hanji and opened up his bedroom closet to find some clothes to change into.

"Huh? Why not?" Hanji followed him out of the bathroom and plopped themself right down on his neatly made bed. His  _formerly_ neatly-made bed.

"Because." Levi pulled out a pair of slacks and held them up to himself before huffing and hanging them back up, grabbing a pair of crisp black jeans instead. "The band is getting together tomorrow to go over that shit. There's no reason for you to bother me with it today."

"You've never minded before."

"I didn't have  _plans_ before."

There was a mirror in the back of Levi's walk-in closet, and he could see Hanji's reflection in it narrow their eyes as they watched him pull out and reject shirt after shirt. "You have a date."

Levi briefly considered denying it. If it was anyone but Hanji, he probably could have gotten away with it, too. "...So?"

"So, where are we meeting him?"

He whirled around and glowered. " _We_ are not meeting him anywhere. There is no 'we' here."

Hanji was completely unruffled. "Oh, no. I'm meeting him. Or else you can find someone else to nurse you through the break-up this time."

Levi deflated and turned back to his clothes. "Why are you automatically assuming it's going to end badly?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because of Matthew. Or Tony.  _Claude_."

Levi flinched and mumbled defensively, "Eren's different."

"Then there's no harm with me meeting him, is there?" A note of triumph rang in Hanji's voice.

"Hanji,  _no_."

"Hanji, YES."

They stared at each other in silent impasse before Levi slumped his shoulders in defeat. "You aren't planning to hang around for the whole thing, are you?"

"Five minutes, that's all. I promise."

"...Fine." Levi rolled his eyes as Hanji grinned at him. "Now would you please leave so I can get dressed?"

"Like I've never seen your dick before."

" _OUT_."

~~~~~

Eren was late.

_'Of all the days for Professor Voerman to get long-winded, the prick picks **today**.'_

The wind whipped around his legs as he sprinted for Maria's, and he was starting to regret wearing a skirt today. Or at least, he was starting to regret going with the thigh-high stockings instead of leggings. But then he thought of the reaction he'd gotten from Levi a few days ago, and, no, he didn't regret it at all, actually.

He paused outside the door of the diner to catch his breath, then he pushed inside and looked around, hoping Levi hadn't just given up and left.

For a minute, Eren thought he had. Then he realized that Levi  _was_ here, he just wasn't alone as Eren had expected.

"Um...hi?" Eren said uncertainly as he slid into the booth across from Levi and a lanky brunet.

Levi heaved out a deep sigh. "Eren, this is my friend, Hanji, and they were  _just leaving_."

"In a minute, in a minute." Levi's friend turned a bright grin to Eren, their brown eyes glinting behind their glasses. "Sorry to intrude Eren, but I just  _had_ to meet the person special enough to make Levi break his streak."

"Break his streak?"

Levi was fixing Hanji with a venomous glare. "Don't you fucking  _dare_ , Shitty Glasses."

Hanji blithely ignored him. "Oh, he didn't tell you? Levi hasn't gone out with anyone since he was twenty-six. _Twenty-six_. He claims he wants to focus on his career." Hanji gave a very confused Eren a conspiratorial wink while Levi covered his face with his hands and made a noise like a dying animal.

"I _hate_ you."

Eren tried to change the subject. "Actually, Levi, I never did ask what you do."

Levi opened his mouth, but just then the waitress came by for their orders. After she left, Hanji leaned in before Levi had a chance to say anything else.

"I'll let you in on a secret, Eren. Our Levi here is a songwriter." Just then, Eren heard an odd thump that sounded like it was coming from underneath the table. "To be more specific, he's a lyricist." There was that thumping sound again. "But you should  _really_ get him to sing for you some time." The thump again, even louder.

"Oh. That's pretty cool." Eren smiled at Levi. "What songs have you worked on?"

"Uh...I..."

The waitress came back with Eren's soda then, and as she left, Hanji moved from Levi's side of the booth to sit next to Eren. "Hey, Eren, is that a No Name shirt you're wearing?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I got it during the 2013 Tour."

Hanji hummed to themself and tugged Eren around so they could read the back. "Oh, Portland's listed on this one! You got it at the Secret Concert?"

"Yeah. I had to camp out at the site for like three days, and there was that whole scare on the message boards where someone claimed the concert was going to be further up-river, but I stuck it out because I was pretty sure my info source was right."

"Well, looks like sticking to your guns paid off. That was an awesome show, wasn't it?"

"Oh, hell yeah! You were there?"

Hanji grinned. "You betcha! Wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Eren found himself grinning back. "So you're a No Name fan, too?"

"You could say that."

Eren opened his mouth to ask what other concerts Hanji had been to, but he was interrupted by Levi. "Oi, Four Eyes."

Hanji looked up, and Levi fixed them with a stare. Neither one of them said anything, and Eren squirmed a little in his seat as he wondered if his silent conversations with Mikasa looked this odd to outsiders. Before things got too uncomfortable, Hanji turned back to Eren. "So, Eren, Levi told me earlier that you're studying to be a sound engineer?"

"Yeah. I should be getting my B.S. in Audio Technology next spring from Sina. The classes are kind of challenging, but I like it. It's kind of amazing to know that one day I might be able to point at an album, or a music video, or a concert recording and say 'I helped make that possible.'"

Hanji squealed and pulled Eren into a somewhat crushing hug. "Oh my God, Levi! This one's adorable; you should keep him."

"So glad I have your approval," Levi said, his tone dry. "I suppose that means you'll be leaving now?"

"Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted."

"Bullshit."

Hanji stuck out their tongue at Levi and stood up. "It was nice meeting you, Eren." They grinned at Eren again, who nodded, and then turned to Levi and waved their finger. "You be on your best behavior."

After they left and the food came, Eren and Levi ate in silence for a while, fueled partly by the fact that Hanji had been talking enough for all three of them earlier and partly by the fact that Eren was ravenous. He finally broke the silence by saying, "I like your friend."

Levi snorted. "Are you serious? They're like a shit that won't come out no matter how hard you squeeze."

Eren barely stopped himself from shooting cola out of his nose and ended up doing an odd combination of coughing and laughing into his napkin. "I don't know," he finally managed to say. "I think they kind of grow on you."

"Yes, but so does fungus."

~~~~~

After they ate, Eren wanted to go for a walk through the park, so that's where they went. When they drew close to the pond in the center of the park, Eren ended up darting ahead of Levi and leaning over the railing of the footbridge to watch the ducks paddling around in the water. "I wish I'd saved some of my bread from lunch," he lamented as Levi stood beside him.

Levi wrenched his eyes up from where he...he was  _not_ staring at the tantalizing strip of tan skin showing between the hem of Eren's skirt and the top of his stockings. "No, you don't. Bread's not very good for them." He dug out his wallet and handed Eren some quarters. "Here. Get some pellets from the vending machine if you want to feed them."

"Thanks." The smile Eren gave him before he ran off was more than worth the loss of his spare change, and Levi watched from the bridge as Eren went down to the bank. The young man was soon giggling as the crowd of ducks quickly figured he was tossing out food and started jostling against each other at his feet. Levi suddenly wished that Isabel was there that day as well; she'd probably be right down there on the bank with Eren and giggling just as hard.

Eren quickly ran out of the feed pellets and walked back up to Levi, his eyes still shining. He tilted his head and gave Levi a quizzical look. "What?"

It was then that Levi realized that he was smiling, the corners of his lips pulled upwards slightly. He coughed and shook his head. "Sorry. You reminded me of a friend just now. Well, she's more like a sister, actually."

Eren licked his lips and smiled, his eyes going soft and heavy-lidded as he stepped closer to Levi. "You know, I really don't want you to think of me as a sister." His hand came up to rest against Levi's chest, then slowly trailed downward to his stomach. "Or a brother, for that matter."

Levi's heart rate sped up. Eren was close, so close that Levi could feel the warmth of him seeping through the clothes separating them. He was too close.

Levi couldn't breathe.

There was air moving in and out of his lungs, but it was odd, wrong, like there wasn't enough oxygen in it. He couldn't breathe.

When it had been just his hands touching Eren, or Eren's hands touching him, Levi had been fine. Even when he'd caught Eren as he clambered over the fence, he'd been too busy worrying over Eren falling and cracking his head on a stone or something to think about how close they were. It hadn't been intimate.

Not like this.

Levi took a jerking step away from Eren, holding out his hand as if to ward him off, to put some space between them. He was relieved when Eren stood still without following, and Levi shut his eyes and gripped the railing of the bridge, trying to ignore the way his skin felt like it was trying to crawl and squirm off his bones.

God, it had been two years. He couldn't have another panic attack, not now, not here.

Not in front of Eren.

His teeth ground together, and Levi shoved the thoughts aside, concentrating on his breathing.

In for four counts, out for eight.

Repeat.

Finally, his heart stopped banging against his ribs, and he opened his eyes. He was almost afraid to meet Eren's eyes. When he finally did, though, he was relieved not to see any pity in them. Concern, yes, but not pity.

Levi didn't think he could deal with pity.

Eren tilted his head to the side. "What can I do?"

Not "are you alright?" Not "what's wrong?"

Levi was beyond grateful, even as he shook his head. "Nothing. It's fine. It's not you; it's me." Levi ran a hand back through his hair and snorted. "Christ, that sounds so cliche." He shoved both his hands into the pockets of his jeans and turned around, starting to walk down the path. He relaxed a little when Eren moved to pace him, walking close beside him but keeping enough space that they wouldn't accidentally brush together.

Eren didn't ask any questions, giving Levi time to gather his thoughts before he started to talk, haltingly. "I don't... My last relationship ended badly. It started badly, too, but I was too young and stupid to see the warning signs. He..." Levi stopped, biting his lip. He wasn't ready to go down  _that_ particular rabbit hole yet. "Anyway, it really fucked me up. Ever since, I've had problems letting people close. Physically. Not until I know them really well."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have crowded you like that."

Levi shrugged, keeping his eyes on the path at their feet. "You didn't know. It's not your fault." Levi hunched his shoulders.

_'Well, so much for a second date.'_

Levi didn't know Eren all that well yet, but everything about his mannerisms pointed to him being extremely physical. Not just in a sexual way, although that was certainly there too if the way he flirted with Levi was any indication. Levi had often seen him with his friends and his sister, leaning on them and draping himself all over them as if he didn't think anything about it. There was  _no way_ someone as young and affectionate as Eren would have the patience to put up with some old man who was literally  _afraid_ of something as innocent as a hug-

Levi's thoughts abruptly cut off as something brushed softly against the back of his wrist. He felt it again and looked down to see Eren holding his hand out toward him, palm up. Levi slowly pulled his own hand out of his pocket and placed it in Eren's. Just as slowly, Eren laced their fingers together and looked tentatively at him. "Is this okay?"

Levi's voice stuck in his throat and he nodded. "Yeah." His voice sounded funny, and he cleared his throat. "It's...nice."

Eren smiled at him, his eyes crinkling up at the corners, and Levi felt his heart pounding in his chest for an entirely different reason than before. He squeezed Levi's hand. "You know if...if you wanted to get to know me better, then I'd be okay with whatever pace you're comfortable with. If you want to try."

Levi looked over at Eren, and he was struck all over again with just how beautiful he was. Without even having to really think about it, his mouth opened and he quietly answered, "...I want to try."

Eren's smile turned brighter than the sun, and he squeezed Levi's hand again, his palm warm and solid against Levi's own.


End file.
